Clamp for column forms



p 1942- T. c. SCHENK 2,294,632

CLAMP FOR COLUMN FORMS Filed March 14, 1941 INVENTOR 7 m Cafe/10W ars i5 4 Patented Sept. 1, 1942 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAlVH FOR COLUMN FORMS Tamis C. Schenk', Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Richmond Screw Anchor 00., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 14, 1941, Serial No. 383,291 1 Claim. (o1.144-'-291) This invention relates to clamps for holding together form boards for the production of concrete columns and particularly angular columns such as are square or rectangular in cross-sectional shape.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a clamp which will hold the forms square and true; which can be placed in position by one workman as distinguished from presentday column clamps requiring the services of two workmen; which is particularly adapted for small-sized columns, which will, by reason of its construction, automatically square-up the forms; which is light in weight, inexpensive to manufacture, and readily and easily placed in position or removed.

At the present time, the clamps used for holding column forms in place are heavy, expensive, difiicult to handle and place in position and require the services of two workmen to put them in place. The device of the present invention is relatively simple, is of few parts and is easy to assemble and use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamp with means for adjusting it and holding it in clamping position, said means being so constructed as to prevent loosening of the clamp under vibration imposed upon it by the vibratory action imparted to the concrete while it is being poured, which vibration is also imposed upon the forms and associated elements and often tends to loosen ordinary clamp-fastening means.

These and other objects are accomplished by the invention, a more particular description of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in the appended claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through a column form showing one of the improved column clamps in position thereon, the section being taken on the line l--l of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the clamping members; and Fig. 6 is a side view of the same, looking at the side indicated by the arrow 6.

In the drawing, the form within which the concrete is poured to produce a column is indicated at I, the same being composed of a plurality of boards arranged together as disclosed in Fig. 1 and forming an angular enclosure for the concrete. The column may be square or rectangular or other desired angular shape. The column clamp is primarily composed of two similar angular rods 2 and 3, each rod being composed of the integrally formed legs 4 and 5, disposed at right angles to one another by bending of the rod. Thus, each of the rods 2 and 3 is adapted to extend around two sides of the form as clearly indicated in Fig. 1. When the two rods are in clamping position as shown in Fig. 1, they embrace the four sides of the form and the end portions of the legs of one of the rods crosses those of the other rod. For example, when viewed as in Fig. 1, the leg 5 of the rod 2 crosses the top of the leg 4 on the rod 3, while the leg 5 of the rod 3 extends across the top of the leg 4 on the rod 2. In this crossed position the rods are tightly clamped around the form and hold the form boards firmly in place, while the concrete is being poured in the form.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown one of the clamping members which engages the crossed portions of the rods 2 and 3, and in co-operation with adjusting nuts secured on threaded portions of said rods, holds the rods clamped around the form. One of the clamping members is indicated at 5, and it will be seen that the same is provided with a tubular portion 1 provided with a bore 8 extending through it, said bore being of such diameter that the clamping member may slide freely on the leg of the rod on which it is mounted. Extending laterally from the tubular portion 1 of the clamp ing member 6 is 3. lug portion 9 provided with a face I0 which abuts against one side of the form. Another similar lug H rises above the tubular portion I, said lug l l abutting against that side of the form which is located at right angles to the side of the form against which the lug 9 rests. In other words, when one of the clamping members is held against the form, it engages one of the corners thereof, said corner fitting into the junction l2 of the lugs 9 and Ill. The clamping member 6 so embracing a corner of the form, is held in position by means of a nut I3 received on the threaded end H of the leg 4 of each of the rods 2 and 3.

Extending at right angles to the lug II is a flange l5 and a lug I6 spaced therefrom. The space between the lugs l6 and flange l5 constitutes an open-top groove or channel I! in which the leg 5 of each of the rods 2 and 3 rests. At the upper end of the flange l5 and also at the upper end of the lug l 6 is provided a laterally projecting ear [8, these two ears I8 constituting locking means for the nut 19 adjustable on the threaded the ears I 8, the ears will serve to prevent the nut from turning or rotating and thus causing it to loosen. The locking of the nut in the manner described is of considerable importance since, according to present-day practice, most poured concrete is vibrated into the forms and the vibration of the pouring devices often causes form clamps to loosen. With the present arrangement, this is prevented by the positive locking of the nuts in the manner described.

From the foregoing, the manner in which the device is used will be clearly understood. In applying the clamps, one of the rods is first placed in position with one corner of the form embraced by the clamping member 6, carried on the leg 4 of the rod. The nut I3 is then tightened up and the tightening of said nut causes the clamping member to be forced snugly against the corner of the form which is sufiicient to hold the one rod in position around the form. This frees the hands of the workman so that he may apply the next rod, which first has the leg 5 dropped into the groove I! on the clamping member of the rod already fitted into place. The leg 4 of the second rod is then swung upwardly causing the groove I1 on the clamping member carried thereby to embrace the leg 5 of the first rod. Now, the four nuts l3 and I9 are all tightened up, and the two clamping members 6 engaging diagonally opposite corners of the form will cause the rods to be drawn tightly around the form to hold the form indefinitely in position.

Since the nuts l9 will be locked by their engagement with the ears I8, the clamp will not loosen through vibration or for other reasons and will remain securely in position until manually removed from around the form.

The use of the device is such that the ends of the threaded portions 14 and of the several rods may be headed after one of the clamping members has been placed upon each of the ends 4 of the two halves of the clamp and nuts have been threaded thereon. When this is done, each half of the clamp permanently carries two nuts and a clamping member so that the parts are thus maintained together and neither the nuts nor the clamping members can be separated from the rods. Since the first half of the clamp, when put in place, will maintain itself in position around the form when one of the clamping members has been tightened against the form by adjustment of the nut [3, the hands of the operator are then free to apply the second half of the clamp so that the application of the clamps around the form is a one-man job. The clamp is light in weight, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and can be used repeatedly for an indefinite number of times. Since the angle defined by the bent legs of the rod is a permanent and accurate one, the tightening of the clamp around the form ensures the production of a true and square form which will remain in that condition until the clamp is removed.

What I claim is:

A clamp for column forms comprising, a rod bent to form it into two leg portions disposed at right angles to and in fixed relation to one another, said legs being adapted to embrace two sides of a four-sided column form, a similarly shaped rod adapted to embrace the two remaining sides of the form whereby said two rods completely surround the four-sided form, the end portions of the first rod crossing at right angles the end portions of the second rod, a clamping member disposed on the rods at their points of crossing, only two of said clamping members located at diagonally opposite corners of the form being required to hold the two rods completely about the form, each clamping member having a tubular part formed with a bore through which an end portion of one of the rods extends, said clamping member also having an open-sided slot wholly disposed to one side of the bore whereby the end portion of the other rod extends through said slot and crosses that which extends through TAMIS C. SCHENK. 

